“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. “- Henry Ford.
A great quote on continuous learning from Mr. Ford, but how would you start the process? How do you select the subject? Do you have the time, money, and resources to complete the learning process? It is not easy to decide upon the subject as numerous factors such as your educational background, professional experience, location, and costs impact selecting the topic.
It is always good to create a roadmap based on your ultimate career objective. For me, I want to be a leader in the tech channel Go-To-Market area, and I’m building my credentials toward a leadership role. So let’s take a look at my certifications and how it helps me achieve my ultimate goal.
Artifical Intelligence (AI) Fundamentals
There is no aspect of technology that is untouched by Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning (ML). They are at the top in technology trends and where the world is moving towards. IBM is at the forefront of AI, and ML has designed this course and Coursera to educate leaders on the importance of AI and ML.
Hybrid IT Sales Certification from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Value-based selling is the key to be successful in technology sales. In this competitive technology world, it is a must to articulate the importance of technology to drive business growth. This certification from HPE helped me understand industry and technology trends and think and act like a business leader solving real-world business problems by using technology solutions.
Product Management
Understanding the product lifecycle is a critical factor in being successful for a product marketer. The skills will help the marketer better plan the marketing strategy and understand its impact on the broader business functions such as finance, sales, and operations.
Inbound Marketing Certification
Hubspot was probably the first marketing automation company that started educating marketers on a large scale to attract customers using a pull strategy and convert them into leads and opportunities. This certification should be on top of the priority list
Digital Marketing- SEO, SEM (Google and Youtube) & Google certifications
Digital marketing has become a numero uno skill for a marketer, be it junior or a CMO. The digital platforms have become a de-facto to support the buyer journey. It is critical for a marketing/sales leader to understand how digital marketing practices like search engine optimization, paid search, video, and content marketing strategies can significantly impact building the revenue pipeline.
Consultative Sales Training
Sales professionals are the closest person to the customers. They are also the most impactful brand ambassadors for a business. Various sales methodologies help sellers to learn the art of selling. I found consultative selling being most effective as it teaches sales professionals to function as a consultant supporting customers rather than a direct transactional sales engagement.
Also, it has helped me to be better at strategizing marketing and business development activities that are in line with the needs of the sales.
Six Sigma Green Belt
Improving process quality needs expertise and understanding of various factors impacting project delivery in a business setting. Six Sigma theory and real world application is bridged by Green Belt level. It is a must for leadership/management to have a good understanding of processes quality as that could directly impact business results.
Click here to get more details.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition- Designing and Implementing Databases
Microsoft Certified Professional in Designing and Implementing databases using SQL Server 2000 EE was a highly sought out certification in 2006. This was my first professional certification that took months of preparation. It was critical for a software engineer (developer) to be an expert in designing databases as it would significantly impact the application’s performance. Also, in a data-driven world, it would be a great asset if you could understand the basics of creating, storing, and extracting data for reporting needs.
Click here to see the latest and top online courses for MS SQL Server
Canada Job Tips, Technology Channel Info, Marketing, Business Development and Sales in IT Channel 